The philosophy of Christ Church Gladesville Preschool is founded on and shaped by Christian beliefs.
We are a community based Christian Preschool. In our Preschool we acknowledge God as our creator, and we encourage the children to discover that each of them is a unique individual created and loved by their Heavenly Father. Jesus, the Bible and prayer are part of our daily life. We do all of this within an open and honest relationship with our families and community, respecting their individual beliefs, customs and diverse cultures.
We acknowledge the first owners of our land, especially the Wallumedegal people of this area, and value inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in our program.
Belonging...
In this Preschool we encourage your child to have a sense of belonging when we recognize and celebrate them as individuals with unique gifts, abilities, and personalities. We provide an atmosphere which is warm, accepting and welcoming for adults and children and one that will build reciprocal relationships. We provide a safe environment where all children are protected as individuals and can develop a sense of belonging. We want to provide opportunities for learning and inclusiveness, where children can develop at their own pace, regardless of gender, ability, age, race or background. Families are welcomed and valued. They know their child best and we welcome families contributions to our preschool environment.
Being...
We believe children are capable, confident, and able to construct their own learning. We recognize their current abilities and provide a stimulating environment where children are free to play, explore, discover and learn at their own pace with educators providing each child with guidance and encouragement, resources and provocations. We highly value play as a meaningful way of learning, gaining confidence and exploring our world, while developing thinking, reasoning and social skills. This is an ideal environment for children to discover, create, improvise and imagine!
Becoming...
We aim to ensure that children will experience learning that is engaging and develops a strong foundation from which children can become lifelong learners.
When children leave this place, we want them to have a strong sense of self and worth, and respect and value for themselves, their families, their cultures and the cultures of others. We want them to be resilient, confident, determined, with a sense of empathy, fairness and kindness. We want them to leave knowing that God has given them unlimited possibilities and the potential to do whatever they set their mind on.
We Value:
We value the whole child - the spiritual, physical, emotional, personal, cultural, social and cognitive.
We value positive relationships that encourage a sense of self-worth, kindness, compassion, empathy, and an understanding of respect and fairness.
We value our environment as the ‘other teacher’. We strive to create an environment that is stimulating, open-ended, sustainable and challenging. We aim to provide an environment that encourages creativity, sense of agency, discovery, care, inclusivity, persistence and resilience.
We value family – they know their child best. We respect their backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. It is through their contribution and partnerships with Preschool that their child’s wellbeing and sense of self is fostered.
We value our Educators. We recognize them as having their own unique teaching and learning styles. They are accepted as integral members of the team and their contributions are valued. Our staff reflect the Christian values of our Preschool in their professional and personal lives.
We value critical reflection as a teaching team and individually as professionals, encouraging us to evaluate our practices and build our knowledge.
We value our Management Committee, our connection with Christ Church Gladesville, local schools and services and our larger community. We acknowledge the influence and importance of those connections and the impact they have on our Preschool.